Having recently successfully concluded the trials of the Chinese vaccine for COVID-19, Pakistan is all set to initiate the clinical trials of another vaccine.

According to Dr. Javed Akram, Vice Chancellor of University of Health Sciences (UHS) Lahore and member of PM’s Scientific Task Force on COVID-19, clinical trials of Australian-made vaccine will be soon held at UHS.

UHS has made all the necessary arrangements and is waiting for the green signal from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) and National Bioethics Committee (NBC) to proceed with the trials, Dr. Javed added.

Regarding the availability of the Chinese vaccine in Pakistan, Dr. Javed Akram noted that DRAP will approve the Coronavirus vaccine as soon as the Scientific Task Force on COVID-19 determines its safety and efficacy and formally release the findings of the clinical trials.

The Chinese vaccine candidate is known as Ad5-nCoV and it has been developed by CanSinoBIO, a Chinese vaccine manufacturer, in collaboration with the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology.Dr. Javed Akram said that the chain of transmission of COVID-19 disease would break once 75% of the Pakistani population get vaccinated against the viral infection.

Besides, Pakistan will also receive free Coronavirus vaccine through COVAX by Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) during the second quarter of 2021. Vaccine received through COVAX would be sufficient to immunize 20% of the Pakistani population against the virus, said Dr. Javed.

He hoped that Pakistan would have approved the CanSinoBIO vaccine by the second quarter of next year and it will be widely available in the country as well.